Met creating team to deal with historical child abuse cases

by Lou Collinsin UncategorizedComments Off on Met creating team to deal with historical child abuse cases

The Metropolitan Police is creating a team of 90 officers and staff to tackle the increasing workload resulting from allegations of historical child abuse.

The new team will handle 29 separate allegations that previous inquiries were blocked because prominent people were identified as suspects.

It will also deal with work resulting from Justice Lowell Goddard’s child abuse public inquiry.

It will consist of reorganised staff rather than new recruits.

The BBC understands the controversial Operation Midland – which is investigating claims of child abuse by establishment figures – will continue as a “standalone operation” because it is also examining allegations of child killings.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is to manage a further 12 investigations detailing allegations of corruption in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and one allegation detailing corruption in Essex Police. All relate to child sex offences dating from the 1970s to the 2000s.

The investigations are to be conducted by the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) and Essex’s Professional Standards Directorate (PSD) but will be overseen, and have the terms of the investigation set, by the IPCC. The majority of the investigations stem from allegations made by retired MPS officers.

This is in addition to the 17 investigations announced earlier this year. All relate to allegations about: